home glucose test - recipe?

[babymango]

To make a long story short, I would prefer to do the glucose test at home, rather than in the lab (time, money, insurance, and a couple other things) Im not super low risk, but not really high risk either. I have access to a glucometer at home (DH is diabetic) so my midwife suggested that i do the test at home.
I've heard of using jelly beans for the test, but im not sure how many, and if all brands are the same...
Can I just measure 50g of sugar and dilute it in water? Is sucrose (white sugar) equivalent to glucose (which is in the "official" test)? Could I use maple syrup or honey?
I know, whether or not i *need* to do the test is debatable, but that's not the point of this post...

[nova22]

I don't know that the solution is necessary. My experience is:

#1: Took the regular test with the sugar solution, failed, and had to take the three-hour test (passed with flying colors)

#2: Waived the test altogether

#3: Took a modified test suggested by my OB: I had a normal breakfast, then fasted for an hour and ate a candy bar before my blood draw.

#4 and #5: Took a modified test suggested by my midwife: I wrote down everything I ate that day and the MW did a finger prick at my appointment, taking into account what I had eaten and how it might have affected my results.

#6: I haven't done an official GD test, but when I was about 12 weeks along I requested a random blood draw because I was feeling faint every time I ate sugar or carbs.

So, there's something to think about...maybe instead of worrying with the sugar solution, which might give you a false spike in your blood sugar levels, eat what you normally eat and do a random draw. Since you're doing it at your own convenience you could test two or three times to make sure you have more accurate results.

[MaerynPearl]

Did your midwife tell you HOW to do the test at home?

I would call her up and ask her.

Personally, my test was eating breakfast of nothing but protein (NO carbs at all) then having them check my blood sugar with a glucometer.

[myk]

sucrose is only 50% glucose, 50% fructose. if you check the diabetic section of your drug store, you should be able to find glucose tablets or gel (also called dextrose). you could measure out 50g of dextrose from that, and eat it on an empty stomach. eat it within 5 minutes and limit yourself to a cup of water to wash it down (less if you can).

this should more or less mimic the syrupy orange drink test. good luck!

[colorclash]

For my test, I the choice of doing the glucola or eating 2 pieces of toast w/ butter, a cup (8oz) of oj, a cup of milk, and two eggs, then doing a blood draw an hour later. So maybe your midwife has a menu that you can eat instead of doing the sugar solution.

[allisonrose]

My midwife gave me the option of drinking a sugar solution and testing one hour later or testing fasting blood sugar, eating breakfast, testing another hour later and then two hours later. I chose the second option because as she put it it's a more accurate view of what my body is doing on a day-to-day basis.

So I'd say talk to your midwife about how to work the home test. She might know how much table sugar to mix with how much water to get the equivalent of the glucola drinks.

[babyjelly]

I am at a high risk of developing diabetes in general, but rather than the GTT, I do a fasting finger stick and then one an hour after each meal, just eating normally. I find more value in those numbers than a one-time draw. For example, it shows that my sugar tends to spike after breakfast, but is normal the rest of the day.
HTH.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Jenne]

I would skip any extra sugar and just monitor for 2 weeks. I do fasting first thing in the AM (after not eating for at least 6 hours!) and then 2 hours after eating about 3 times a day.

Jenne

[EmedAK]

I did the one hour and failed by a few points then declined the 3 hour test. I tested 4 times a day for two weeks with glucometer at home first thing in the AM and then about two hours after each meal. All was good. I do think that testing after regular meals is more accurate of what your body does day to day ... if you're eating candy bars on a regular basis or drinking lots of soda then it might be an accurate reading of how your body deals with sugar if not i'd stick to your normal diet and test